The Banks Blog

This week, while we were out walking on the Ohio Riverfront near the Suspension Bridge, we were asked by two women whether there was anywhere they could get a drink nearby and outdoors.

We pondered for a few minutes and showed them on the TANK Southbank Shuttle map they were carrying which nearby neighborhoods were good for outdoorsy beers and chatting.

They said they were in town for 3 days and staying in downtown. They headed out on foot for the riverfront figuring that it was their best bet for interesting dining.

We had to convince them that if they came back in 5 years, this glorious pile of dirt surrounded by a fence would be the place for them. Until then, if they walked 10 minutes either due north or due south they’d hit something worth stopping at.

There is a lot to do and see in Cincinnati, and plenty of places to hang out and eat. Perhaps in a few years, you won’t need to be an experienced local to find something tasty and unique within a few minutes’ walk from your hotel.

The Banks will definitely play a part in filling the literal and figurative void between the burgeoning Over The Rhine, established Mt. Adams, traditional Mainstrasse, hip Covington, urbane Fountain Square, and lively Newport. Also, this seems like a great place to enter my shameless plug for the Streetcar.

The last city I visited with big city business, pro sports, interesting eating/shopping/people watching neighborhoods, and a streetcar was San Diego. Maybe we should consider a new catch phrase when the Banks opens…

Cincinnati is like Portland without the rain and threat of Mt Hood erupting or San Diego without the sky-high prices and shark-inhabited ocean.